The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a client/server type information processing system and an information processing method to be employed in the same system, in which the image forming apparatus serves as a client.
Conventionally, in a client/server type information processing system of general purpose, when an important job should be implemented in the client, the server conducts an authenticating operation for the client so as to implement the concerned job in the client authenticated by the server. For instance, in the system in which an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, etc., serves as the client, various kinds of application programs are installed into the client in advance, so that, when the server transmits print data to the client authenticated by the server, the concerned client employs the necessary application program stored in advance to implement the print operation for forming an image based on the job data transmitted from the server.
For instance, Patent Document 1 (Tokkai 2004-58499, Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication) sets forth the system in which, with respect to the downloading operation of additional application programs, the server grasps information of application programs currently installed in the client, so that the server can transmit an additional application program, which is currently lacked in the client and is to be installed in the client, so as to make a specific function concerned to the additional application program available in the client.
In the conventional client/server type information processing system mentioned in the above, however, since the various kinds of application programs to be employed for processing the job data are installed in advance into the client, and further, various kinds of important data generated in mid-course of the job operation are stored in various storages, such as an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), etc., of the client, there has been such a risk that the important data are also stolen when the client apparatus is stolen, and specifically, there has been such a problem that it is difficult to prevent the leakage of the information when a plurality of client apparatuses are coupled to the system.
Further, in the conventional system mentioned in the above, since it is necessary for the client to install the application programs corresponding to all of the devices, which are possibly configured into the client, there has been such another problem that the apparatus cost of the client increases.
Still further, in the conventional system mentioned in the above, since maintenance processing for correcting defects or updating versions of the various kinds of application programs should be individually conducted with respect to each of the clients, every time when such the defect or the version change occurs, there has been still another problem that it is impossible to easily cope with such the defect or the version change, and accordingly, it is impossible to set each of the clients at an appropriate state.
Yet further, in the conventional system mentioned in the above, since it is also impossible to update the version of each application program for every user using the specific client, there has been still another problem that it is impossible to provide a user-friendly system.